Disposable Nail Buffing Tool

ABSTRACT

A disposable nail buffing tool with a holder for receiving a buffing block. The holder may be made of plastic, metal, graphite, or some other light weight and rigid material. The holder has a receptacle for receiving a buffing block. In one embodiment the sides of the receptacle are angled inwards, to grasp and hold the buffing block. The holder also has handles to facilitate holding and using the nail buffing tool. The buffing block is removably received in the receptacle of the holder. The buffing block is made of a compressible layer and one or more abrasive layers attached to the compressible layer. The compressible layer is made of foam or hard sponge. The abrasive layer may be sand paper glued to the compressible layer or as in one embodiment, directly sprayed onto the compressible layer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to nail care products, and inparticular to a disposable nail buffing tool for use with natural orartificial nails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The cosmetic industry enjoyed unparalleled growth in recent years fueledby rising salaries and reduced leisure time. Nail salons are positivelybooming as people with more disposable income, find less and less timeto take care of their beauty needs. Fortunately, they have utilized apart of their newfound wealth to patronize nail salons with greaterfrequency. A typical nail salon customer may visit their favorite salonevery week for complete nail care.

Complete nail care includes such services as trimming, shaping,smoothing, and finally polishing to perfection all twenty nails. Thispainstaking labor, which once took most of the afternoon, can now bedone by a professional in less than twenty minutes. Saving time, gettingperfect nails, and perhaps being pampered for a short time, are allreasons why nail salons are more and more popular.

To shape and polish nails, nail care professionals use many cutting andfiling tools, including buffing blocks. A typical buffing block is arectangular piece of compressible material such as foam or hard spongeglued to sand paper. Generally four sides of a buffing block are coveredin sand paper. In some buffing blocks, the sand paper has varyingdegrees of abrasiveness. For example one side may be highly abrasive forshaping nails, while another may be made of fine sand paper forsmoothing and polishing nails. Buffing blocks are typically palm sizedand larger to facilitate comfortable grasping. Most buffing blocks havethe approximate dimensions of 100 mm×30 mm×25 mm. (L×W×H). A buffingblock can be used repeatedly without wearing down the sandpaper.However, as more people are patronizing nail salons, problems withsanitation occur when a normal buffing block is used.

As with any industry that affects the general public, certain standardsare required to keep the public safe. Title 16 Division 9 §981 (a) ofthe California Code of Regulations Board of Barbering and Cosmetologyrequire that:

-   -   a) All instruments and supplies which come into direct contact        with a patron and cannot be disinfected (for example, cotton        pads, sponges, emery boards, and neck strips) shall be disposed        of in a waste receptacle immediately after use.        Sanitation requirements like these prevent the spread of        communicable diseases such as warts, fungus, ring worms, and        other skin afflictions spread by contact. As one can imagine,        due to the sheer volume of customers patronizing a nail salon,        even one contaminated nail tool can infect dozens of customers.

One solution is to disinfect all surfaces which contact clients, withalcohol or similar disinfectants. The problem with this solution is thatbuffing blocks are made of a sponge or foam core. The foam or spongewould obviously soak up any solution rendering the buffing blockuseless. Also the abrasive outer layer cannot be cleaned with solutionsbecause the sand paper may dissolve. The same results occur whencardboard emery boards are placed in solution.

Thus the simple solution is to simply discard the used buffing blockafter each client. As with most regulations, there is a cost ofcompliance. Buffing blocks cost approximately $2.00 each. A typical nailcare session may use several different types to shape and smooth thenail. Beginning with the more abrasive variety and ending with a smoothsoft silk polishing pad. A typical nail appointment costs about $10.00.If even three buffing blocks are used, ⅗ths of revenue is used up.Furthermore this cost cannot be passed through to client, because atsome point, the convenience of professional nail care will be outweighedby the price.

Reducing the size of the buffing block would reduce the cost ofmanufacture. However, this is also not a perfect solution because thesmaller the buffing block the harder it is to hold. In a typical day,the average nail care professional sees as many as twenty clients orfour hundred nails. After extended use, the practitioner's hands wouldcramp leading to less precise shaping and polishing, not to mention painand fatigue.

Metal files could be sanitized and therefore reused, but they too havetheir drawbacks. Nails come in different shapes and sizes, with mosttypically curved at the sides. A metal file cannot properly reach theseedges because it is straight and rigid. Using the points on a metal fileto reach these curves, leads to nicks and cuts.

It is thus apparent that the need exists for a nail buffing tool that iseasy to use, cost effective to manufacture, and complies with sanitaryregulations. Such a tool would necessarily be disposable yet lessexpensive than the current art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the invention relates to a disposable nail buffingapparatus having two distinct components. A buffing block and a holderfor the buffing block. The holder has an area sufficient to grasp andincludes a receptacle for a buffing block. The holder may be made of arigid plastic, metal, or composite material so long as it is lightweight. In an exemplary embodiment the holder is made of a light weightrigid plastic. The holder may have ergonomic handles so that the nailbuffing apparatus may be grasped firmly over a longer period of time.Furthermore, the exemplary holder is between 60-70 mm in length, 20-30mm in width, and 30-40 mm in height. The size of the holder complimentsthe palm of a typical hand for added comfort and precise use.

In the exemplary embodiment the handles form the sides of the holder.The handles are higher, relative to the horizontal plane, than themiddle of the holder, forming a saddle-like shape. This shape may allowthe user to place one or two fingers into the depression enhancingcontrol of the nail buffing apparatus during use. The edges of theholder, where a user would grasp the holder, are rounded. Not only doesthe rounded shape lend the apparatus aesthetic appeal, it may also servea more practical purpose. Sharp edges bite into the hand causing painand fatigue. More rounded edges may allow longer more comfortable use.

In the one embodiment, the holder has a receptacle area where a buffingblock may be received. The sides of the receptacle area may besufficiently angled such that the compressible layer of a buffing blockwill fit snuggly into the receptacle and prevent movement of the buffingblock during use. In the exemplary embodiment the sides of thereceptacle form an acute angle with the base of the holder to trap thefoam layer of the buffing block. In one embodiment the angle between thereceptacle side and the bottom of the receptacle is 30°. Angles between25° and 35° should be sufficient to hold the buffing block while at thesame time facilitate easy removal and replacement of the buffing block.When a buffing block is snapped into the receptacle, the compressiblelayer of the buffing block fills the area of the acute angle and createstension sufficient to hold the buffing block in place. Obviously othermeans to temporarily attach the buffing block to the holder would workas well. Such means may include, hook and loop fasteners, glue, tacks,etc.

The exemplary buffing block is made of a compressible layer such asfoam, hard sponge or other material which is compressible under pressurebut retains its original shape once pressure is relieved. Thecompressible layer slightly deforms when the buffer block is applied tothe nail. This compressible layer acts as a cushion, evenly distributingpressure around the entire surface of the nail, giving a more evenpolish. Also, the curved edges of a nail can be more easily reached. Ametal file that does not bend cannot follow the curve of a nail aseasily as a buffing block with a compressible layer. The compressiblelayer is attached to an abrasive layer. The abrasive layer may comprisesilicon carbide, aluminum oxide, diamond dust, metallic filing, etc. Inthe exemplary embodiment the abrasive material is sprayed directly ontothe compressible layer during manufacture, but any method of adheringthe abrasive layer onto the compressible layer would suffice. Suchmethods may include embedding the abrasive material onto a paper layerand sticking the paper layer onto the foam layer.

To reduce the cost of manufacture, in the exemplary embodiment, only oneside of the compressible layer is covered with an abrasive layer, but itshould be obvious to one skilled in the art that two or more surfacescoated or otherwise attached with an abrasive layer would not change theinvention. The choice of using one abrasive surface, however, makeseconomic sense because most of the cost of manufacturing the buffingblock is in creating the abrasive layer. Furthermore, in professionalnail salons the invention may see only one use before being disposed of.More than one abrasive layer would therefore be a waste of money.

One of the novel traits of the invention is the size of the buffingblock used. In the exemplary embodiment the buffing block issubstantially smaller, and therefore less costly to make, than priorart. The exemplary buffing block is between 55-65 mm in length, 15-25 mmin width, and 5-15 mm in height. As mentioned previously, a smallbuffing block is hard to hold and over time may cause pain to the user.To overcome this problem, while retaining a cost effective size, thebuffing block is removably attached to or removably placed into anergonomic holder, such that the buffing block can generally be easilyremoved from the holder or easily attached to the holder.

As the title of the invention suggests, the exemplary embodiment isdisposable. Specifically the buffing block part of the invention may bedisposed of after each client. The holder part of the invention may beretained for the next customer. Simply disinfect the holder and pop anew buffing block into place. Disposing the buffing block is aneffective way of complying with sanitary regulations. Using a newbuffing block for each customer should reduce the risk of spreading acontagious skin disease. An additional benefit is less use of Barbersolor similar disinfectants, which emit hazardous fumes into the workplace.

The invention presents an elegant solution to the aforementionedproblems.

One objective met by this invention is providing a nail buffing that iscomfortable to hold and use when shaping and polishing real andartificial nails.Another objective met by this invention is complying with various safetyand sanitation codes requiring the disposal of buffing blocks and emeryboards after each customer. Each buffing block is removable from theholder and a replacement easily installed.Still another objective met by this invention is reducing the cost ofmanufacturing the buffing block. Each buffing block may include only oneabrasive layer as compared to the two or more found in the prior art.Furthermore each buffing block is significantly smaller than those incommercial use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a representative example of theinvention without the buffing block.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a representative example of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a representative example of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross section of a representative example of the inventionincluding the buffing block also in cross section.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a representative example of theinvention including buffing block depicted hovering below the holder.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a representative example of the buffing block.

FIG. 7 is a frontal view of a representative example of the buffingblock.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a representative example of the buffingblock.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary disposable nail buffingtool 100, showing only the holder section of the apparatus. The holder101 may be formed of a light weight but rigid material such as plastic,metal, graphite, etc. The edges of the holder 101 are, for the mostpart, rounded to prevent cutting into the users hands. The sides of theholder are higher relative to the horizontal axis than the middle of theholder, forming a saddle-like shape. The middle of the holder may berounded, allowing one or two fingers to rest comfortably in thedepression.

In the exemplary embodiment, a light weight composition is desirable forseveral reasons. A lighter disposable nail buffing tool is easier tomanipulate with precision. The nail care professional can shape the nailmore accurately and polish the nail to a higher sheen. Also, a lighterdisposable nail buffing tool can be used for a longer period of time,without cramping or fatiguing the hands.

The exemplary disposable nail buffing tool 100 is further designed forcomfort. The edges 101 are all rounded with the exception of the edgesof the receptacle 104. When grasped tightly during use, the roundededges should provide a greater degree of comfort than if the edges wereleft sharp.

In the representative sample, the bottom of the holder is an invertedbox-like receptacle 104. This receptacle 104 holds the buffing block(not shown). The sides of the receptacle 104 form an acute angle withthe bottom of the holder (more clearly depicted in FIG. 4). As discussedin more detail below the buffing block (not shown here) is removablyattached to receptacle 104.

FIG. 2 is an overhead view of an exemplary disposable nail buffing tool100. The exemplary samples generally have a length in the range of 60-70mm and a width in the range of 20-30 mm.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary disposable nail buffing tool 100.In this example the sides 102 of the tool are higher than the middle 103of the tool, relative to the horizontal plane. The unique shape allows anail care professional to firmly grasp the exemplary tool. By placingone or more fingers between the elevated sides 102 of the tool, a usermay be able to guide the movement of the tool with greater precision.The finger(s) so placed also exerts slight downward pressure on thetool. The slight downward pressure on the tool keeps the abrasive layer(shown later) in constant contact with the nail surface, providing amore even polishing or shaping.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary disposable nail buffingtool 100. In this example the buffing block is removably attached to theholder 101. The compressible layer 105 of the buffing block is widerthan the sides of the receptacle 104. This difference in size causes thefoam layer to compress slightly upon insertion into the receptacle. Thetension created helps to keep the buffing block in place during use. Theacute angle formed by the sides 104 of the receptacle and the bottom ofthe receptacle may also play a role in keeping the buffing block inplace. Angled, as described, the sides actively grab onto the foam layerpreventing movement of the buffing block, especially downward movement.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention100, showing both the holder 101 and buffing block. This figure isincluded to show the relative orientation of buffing block prior toinsertion into the holder. In this example the buffing block is made ofa compressible layer 105 and an abrasive layer 106.

As explained earlier, the buffing block may contain only one abrasivelayer to reduce the cost of manufacture. Health and sanitationregulations require disposal of a buffing block once used on a client toreduce the risk of spreading skin diseases. To aid compliance, theexemplary buffing blocks are both smaller than the prior art andcomprise one abrasive layer. A cheaper buffing block may make it costeffective for nail salons to dispose of buffing blocks after eachcustomer.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an exemplary buffing block showing thecompressible layer 105 and abrasive layer 106. FIG. 7 is a front view ofan exemplary buffing block showing the compressible layer 105 and theabrasive layer 106. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary buffingblock showing the compressible layer 105 and the abrasive layer 106. Thecompressible layer is formed of a hard sponge, foam, or other materialof similar characteristic. The compressible layer may cushion the nailduring use for a more even polish and better control. Furthermore, thecompressible layer may allow the buffing block to smooth and polish thehard to reach curves at the edges of the nail. In the exemplaryembodiment the abrasive layer is sprayed onto the compressible layer.Generally speaking, spraying on the abrasive layer results in a tighterbond between the compressible layer and the abrasive layer. However,gluing the abrasive layer to the compressible layer or some other methodnot contemplated may work just as well.

While the invention has been described in connection with variousembodiments, it will be understood that the invention is capable offurther modifications. This application is intended to cover anyvariations, uses or adaptation of the invention following, in general,the principles of the invention, and including such departures from thepresent disclosure as come within the known and customary practicewithin the art to which the invention pertains

1. A nail buffing tool comprising; a holder having a receptacle, and a buffing block removably received in said receptacle.
 2. The nail buffing tool of claim 1, wherein said holder is made of a light weight but rigid material such as plastic, aluminum, graphite, etc.
 3. The nail buffing tool of claim 1, wherein the sides of said holder form handles.
 4. The nail buffing tool of claim 2, wherein said holder includes a receptacle for removeably attaching a buffing block.
 5. The nail buffing tool of claim 3, wherein the sides of said receptacle are acutely angled sufficient to hold said buffing block.
 6. A nail buffing tool comprising; a holder having a receptacle, and a buffing block removably received in the receptacle comprising one compressible layer and one or more abrasive layer(s), said compressible layer being formed from a foam or sponge and said abrasive layer comprising abrasive grit.
 7. The nail buffing tool of claim 6, wherein said buffing block is removably attached to the holder.
 8. The nail buffing tool of claim 6, wherein said abrasive grit is selected from an abrasive group comprising diamonds, synthetic diamonds, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide.
 9. The nail buffing tool of claim 6, wherein said abrasive grit is sprayed onto said compressible layer.
 10. The nail buffing tool of claim 6 wherein, said compressible layer is thicker than said abrasive layer.
 11. A nail buffing tool having a holder with a receptacle comprising; a buffing block adapted to be removably received in the receptacle of the holder; the buffing block comprising one compressible layer and one abrasive layer, said compressible layer being formed from a foam or sponge and said abrasive layer comprising abrasive grit.
 12. The nail buffing tool of claim 11, wherein the buffing block has a length in the range of 55 mm to 65 mm and width in the range of 20 mm to 30 mm.
 13. The nail buffing tool of claim 11 wherein said buffing block is removably attached to the holder.
 14. The nail buffing tool of claim 11, wherein said abrasive grit is selected from an abrasive group comprising diamonds, synthetic diamonds, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide.
 15. The nail buffing tool of claim 11, wherein said abrasive grit is sprayed onto said compressible layer.
 16. The nail buffing tool of claim 11 wherein, said compressible layer is thicker than said abrasive layer. 